"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
I've wandered around with nothing more than time on my hands
I was lost in the night with no sight of you
And at times it was so blue and lonely
Heading for the light
Been close to the edge, hanging by my fingernails
I've rolled and I've tumbled through the roses and the thorns
And I couldn't see the sun that warmed me
Heading for the light
Oh, I didn't see that big black cloud hanging over me
And when the rain came down, I was nearly drowned
I didn't know the mess I was in
Shoes are wearing out from walking down this same highway
I don't see nothing new, but I feel a lot of change
And I get the strangest feeling as I'm
Heading for the light
Oh, my hands were tied
Jokers and fools on either side
But, still I kept on 'til the worst had gone
Now I see the hole I was in
My shoes are wearing out from walking down this same highway
I don't see nothing new, but I feel a lot of change
And I get the strangest feeling as I'm
Heading for the light
I see the sun ahead, I ain't never looking back
All the dreams are coming true as I think of you
Now there's nothing in the way to stop me
Heading for the light
Now there's nothing in the way to stop me
Heading for the light
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Heading for the light
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Heading for the light
I was lost in the night with no sight of you
And at times it was so blue and lonely
Heading for the light
Been close to the edge, hanging by my fingernails
I've rolled and I've tumbled through the roses and the thorns
And I couldn't see the sun that warmed me
Heading for the light
Oh, I didn't see that big black cloud hanging over me
And when the rain came down, I was nearly drowned
I didn't know the mess I was in
Shoes are wearing out from walking down this same highway
I don't see nothing new, but I feel a lot of change
And I get the strangest feeling as I'm
Heading for the light
Oh, my hands were tied
Jokers and fools on either side
But, still I kept on 'til the worst had gone
Now I see the hole I was in
My shoes are wearing out from walking down this same highway
I don't see nothing new, but I feel a lot of change
And I get the strangest feeling as I'm
Heading for the light
I see the sun ahead, I ain't never looking back
All the dreams are coming true as I think of you
Now there's nothing in the way to stop me
Heading for the light
Now there's nothing in the way to stop me
Heading for the light
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Heading for the light
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
Heading for the light
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
The Wilburys' song that is most obviously influenced by Jeff Lynne, former lead-man of the ELO. The musical style and the song's ambiguous title are a clear reference to the Electric Light Orchestra.
agreed this song seems almost like an ELO song
Under-rated track from Volume one. Great lyrics, very inspiring to me. He describes all the things going wrong but he keeps heading toward the light....and there's nothing in the way to stop me!
Lyrics are great, music is even better. It's so upbeat! I love upbeat songs!
I also think this song is underrated, in both the music and lyrics. To me the meaning has to do with the demons we all struggle with in life, be they drugs, crime, bad habits, mistakes you've made, and people you may have hurt or been hurt by in the past. There are a lot of smart, talented, and creative people out there who are living unhappy lives because of how bogged down in their own negativity they are. I'm still young but if I've learned one important thing in life so far it's that being a positive upbeat person and accepting yourself for who you are is one of the most important aspects of character to have. This songs lyrics summarized these ideas nicely for me.
Also musically I think it's great. I wish there were more than just two of those powerful bridges.